As useful and necessary as graphics are, it is not enough to just plop them into a document. Here are the steps you must take to correctly incorporate a graphic into your work.
Step 1: Label, number and title every graphic. In technical writing, all graphics are either “tables” or “figures” – “tables” are, well, tables (duh) and “figures” are everything else. The graphics should be numbered according to when they appear in your document (“Figure 1, Figure 2″ – or “Table 1, 2″ etc.). Also, every graphic should have an informative title that helps the reader understand the content.
Step 2: Place the graphic in the right spot. Usually, this means as close as possible to the text that refers to it. If the graphic is not directly relevant, OR if the graphic is so large that it interrupts the flow of your document, place it in the appendix (and reference it in the text).
Step 3: Introduce and explain every graphic. Don’t make your reader do all the interpretive work – explain what your graphic is doing and what the content means. Use legends, arrows, captions – anything that will help your reader understand. Also reference every graphic in the text – either before the graphic appears or, if you are wrapping text, next to the graphic. Avoid referencing a graphic for the first time after the graphic has already appeared.
Step 4: Document your graphics. If you didn’t create the graphic yourself (and your company doesn’t already own it), be sure cite the source. If you are publishing your work and the graphic is protected by copyright, you will have to get permission and possibly pay a fee. Most style guides recommend you cite the source in both a references section and in the caption of the graphic itself.
Step 4: Make your graphic stand out. Most graphics stand out anyway, but consider adding rules or boxes or additional spaces to distinguish your graphic from the text. If you are writing a document with several types of graphics, consider using colored screens or filters to separate the, say, marginal glosses from the charts and graphs.
Step 5: Make it easy to find your graphics. If your document includes 4 or more graphics, consider including a list of illustrations (just after your table of contents).
If you are looking for examples, our Technical Definition and Description student samples incorporate most, if not all, of these steps. Plus – you can always use our textbook as an example!
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I’ve always known that graphics can help to enhance an argument or technical publication, however I never realized all of the subtle things that make a graphic really work in a text.
Previously, I haven’t considered keeping the locations of my graphics uniform (i.e. explaining all graphics in the text above the graphic for ALL graphics used). Additionally, I like the idea of using a list of illustrations to help locate all of the graphics used in a text. I could see this being very helpful when looking up specific data quickly.
Finally, is there any universal formatting for captions? Many people always put the caption beneath the figure, but last semester I was taught to put the captions for tables above them, and the captions for figures below them. My professor had spent many years in the Navy and was a stickler for formatting, but I don’t know if this is universal formatting or simply his preference.